Originally Posted by
Jakebeth
One thing that I don't see addressed in this thread is WHEN the tax went up, and when it was announced.
If AA knew it was coming months ago and just hadn't yet adjusted its computers to charge it, then I think the point is a strong one. It sounds fishy to me that a tax was 'suddenly' levied by the state and nobody knew about it until after the ticket was purchased.
I suppose it's very possible things work quite differently in the UK, but new taxes on this side of the pond generally have some kind of grace period to allow merchants of all kinds to get ready for them. Come to think of it, I would have to think the EU does, as well given how extensive their preparations were for the rollout of the Euro, for example.
When Gordon Brown, the Chancellor of the Exchequer (the UK equivalent of the Secretary of the Treasury) announced the tax increase in early December, he said that it would apply to all FLIGHTS taken as of 1 February 2007, IRRESPECTIVE of when the tickets were purchased. Thus, even if you purchased a ticket PRIOR to his announcement, you would still be liable to pay the additional tax. You could not do this in the US, but you can in the UK.
With AA allowing ticketing 330 days out, someone could have purchased a ticket in April 2006 for February 2007. To expect AA to have known last spring that the UK would raise taxes come Feburary is more than just unreasonable. While it would be nice if AA were to pay the tax, it is unreasonable to demand that they do.
Just in case anyone is interested, I will have to pay the additional tax for myself and my family when we fly back in March. Do I like it? No. I will be angry at Gordon Brown, not AA.